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Key Industries

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SNAPSHOT:

New opportunities as UC Merced expands. These are the industries to watch in Merced:

  • Food & Beverage

  • Manufacturing

  • Distribution

  • Life Science / Environmental Science

  • Solar

  • Healthcare

  • Retail / Office

Key Industries in Merced

icon food & beverage
Food & Beverage 

Proximity to raw and primary processed goods in the San Joaquin Valley's rich agricultural climate, plus packaging facilities. Huge markets within 2 hours. Competitive energy costs and wastewater capacity.

REPRESENTATIVE COMPANIES:

  • Foster Farms (poultry)

  • Safeway (sauces, jams, bottled water)

  • Passion Fruit Farms (wholesale)

  • Scholle Corp. (bag in a box)

  • RTS Packaging (wine inserts)

icon manufacturing
Manufacturing

Workforce skilled in traditional manufacturing intersects with potential UC Merced partnerships for R&D expertise. Merced boasted the fastest growing manufacturing sector in the U.S. in a recent report. 

REPRESENTATIVE COMPANIES:

  • Mauser (food cans)

  • Fine Line Industries (boat mfg)

  • O'Keeffe's Inc. (skylights)

  • Wellmade (fluorescent lights)

  • Werner Co. (ladders)

icon distribution
Distribution

One-day drive to all California and Oregon locations and parts of Nevada and Arizona. Well-planned business parks with Hwy 99 and rail access. Heavy concentration of food and grocery distributors.

REPRESENTATIVE COMPANIES:

  • McLane Pacific (grocery dist.)

  • Yosemite Wholesalers (grocery dist.)

  • QuadGraphics (commercial printing)

  • Frito Lay (snack foods)

  • Wallace Trucking (shipping)

icon life science
Life Science / Environmental Sciences

Natural Science comprises 29% of UC Merced's enrollment, with core facilities for environmental analysis, imaging and microscopy, stem cell and animal research. High Speed Rail will soon connect the Bay Area to lower-cost Merced facilities.

icon solar industries
Solar

Large market spurred by California solar initiatives and sunny climate. Solar energy research conducted at UC Merced puts expertise and potential employees at your doorstep.

REPRESENTATIVE COMPANIES:

  • APG Solar 

  • APS Solar

  • REC Solar Central Valley

  • Solar City

  • Sun Therm Energy Inc. 

  • Unlimited Energy Solar Solutions

icon healthcare
Healthcare

UC Merced plans include a future medical school. Current university programs include the interdisciplinary Health Sciences Research Institute and a partnership with UC Davis School of Medicine.

REPRESENTATIVE COMPANIES:

  • Dignity Health Mercy Medical Center

  • Hy-Lond Healthcare Center

  • Anberry Transitional Care

  • Merced Behavorial Healthcare Center

icon retail office
Retail / Office

Market area population of 247,395 and projected annual growth of 0.76%. Retail leakage $281.1M. Greatest need: general merchandise, food & beverage, health & personal care, specialty goods, restaurants.

REPRESENTATIVE COMPANIES:

  • Costco

  • Save Mart Supermarket

  • Raley's

  • Home Depot

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RELATED INFORMATION:

Business Climate

Healthcare

Transportation

UC Merced

Why Merced

SOURCES USED ON THIS PAGE:

  1. "Fastest Growing Manufacturing Metros of 2014," Headlight Data (www.headlightdata.com) (May 26, 2015).

  2. "Fast Facts 2017-18" (http://www.ucmerced.edu/fast-facts) (Nov 2017).

  3. "Merced, CA 2014 Retail Market" Marketek and Chabin Concepts (2014).

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